evaluating the northern territory bilingual education program
TRANSCRIPT
Presenta(on Title | 00 Month 2010 | Slide 1 Presenta(on Title | 00 Month 2010 | Slide 1
Evaluating the Northern Territory
Bilingual Education Program
Samantha Disbray, Charles Darwin University and CRC – Remote Economic
Participation
Strelow Conference – Alice Springs September 25, 2014
Northern Territory Bilingual Educa(on Program
• Established in response to the federal government’s call for remote Aboriginal children to have ‘their primary educa(on in Aboriginal languages’ (Dept. Ed. 1974:6)
• Ran between 1974 and 2008 in 23 schools, providing teaching for Indigenous students in some 24 languages
• Ambiguous aRtude and approach to the Program by the NT Department of Educa(on
‘Recommendations concerning bilingual education in the Northern Territory’ Prepared by Dr. Geoff O’Grady Dr. Ken Hale 1st July 1974
Walungurru Kuula (Kintore School circa 1984)
Sites – remote and diverse
Sites – remote and diverse
Evalua(on Criteria
Evaluation Criteria?
• What was the NT Bilingual Program designed to do?
• Where was this stated? • How was it measured and documented? • How did it fare?
Evalua(on Criteria
• Data on student academic outcomes in English literacy and Numeracy Ø most recently, results in 2008 NAPLAN Tes(ng -‐ Na(onal Assessment Program
for Literacy and Numeracy
Evaluation Criteria - current?
Evalua(on Criteria
Measures? 3 Phases of review of the programs (Devlin 1995)
– Implementa(on reviews (1974-‐1979, Progress Reports of the Bilingual Consulta(ve CommiZee)
– Accredita(on Program (1980’s) – Evalua(on Process (1990’s)
Extensive repor(ng remains though overall liZle student academic outcome data was systemically compiled, in schools in both the bilingual program and English-‐only program (Disbray, 2014a,b)
Ques(ons regarding relevance of high stakes na(onal tes(ng and of the claims made regarding comparisons of 2008 NAPLAN data (Wigglesworth et al. 2011) and (Devlin 2009a).
Evaluation Criteria?
Evalua(on Criteria
• Data on student academic outcomes in English literacy and Numeracy
In line with the 8 stated goals set out in Bilingual Handbook (summarised below), repeatedly endorsed by Indigenous teachers and community members, and which are echoed also in na(onal and interna(onal literature (UNESCO 2008a, 2008b; Bernard Van Leer Founda(on 2004; Harris 1995; Silburn et al. 2011)
• Community involvement in schools, teaching training and leadership • Teaching of English language and mathema(cs • Use of first language and mul(lingual instruc(on as a pedagogy • Culturally responsive curriculum & resources • Use of first language for cultural and linguis(c maintenance
Evaluation Criteria?
Broader criteria for evaluation
Two-Way an underlying model of bilingual/bicultural education in which power is shared, the curriculum is balanced, the existence of competing knowledge systems is acknowledged and the program is related to language use and cultural observances in the community (Devlin 2004: 26)
• Community involvement in schools, teaching training and leadership
• Teaching of English language and mathemaAcs
• Use of first language and mulAlingual instrucAon as a pedagogy
• Culturally responsive curriculum & resources
• Use of first of first language for cultural and linguisAc maintenance
Mee(ng the Criteria – English and L1
Meeting the Criteria – Team Teaching Pedagogy • Community involvement
in schools, teaching training and leadership
• Teaching of English language and mathemaAcs
• Use of first language and mulAlingual instrucAon as a pedagogy
• Culturally responsive curriculum & resources
• Use of first of first language for cultural and linguisAc maintenance
Meeting the Criteria – Skills Development Training and Up-skilling Remote Aboriginal Teacher Education Program (RATE Batchelor College)
In school mentors, teacher linguists
Training in own language studies: School of Australian Linguistics -> Centre for Australian Languages and Linguistics, Batchelor College
80% of 41 trained teachers worked in schools with Bilingual Programs (Batt 2011)
• Community involvement in schools, teaching training and leadership
• Teaching of English language and mathema(cs
• Use of first language and mulAlingual instrucAon as a pedagogy
• Culturally responsive curriculum & resources
• Use of first of first language for cultural and linguisAc maintenance
Meeting the Criteria – Developing Maths knowledge
Karlarlakari-karlarlakari-kirli: Kujarnalu Yirri-Yuraja Manu Yirrarnu Nyurruwiyi Turnu-jarrinjarla Wirliyarrayirla manu Yurntumurla’ Bilingual Resource Development Unit, 1984).
• Community involvement in schools, teaching training and leadership
• Teaching of English language and mathemaAcs
• Use of first language and mulAlingual instrucAon as a pedagogy
• Culturally responsive curriculum & resources
• Use of first of first language for cultural and linguisAc maintenance
Meeting the Criteria – Development and Implementation of Local Curriculum
Galtha Rom and Ganma at Yirrkala School
Dhanarangala Murrurinydji Gaywanagal, later Gattjirrk at Milingimbi School
Warlpiri Theme Cycle – 4 Warlpiri schools: Lajamanu, Yuendumu, Willowra, Nyirrpi
• Community involvement in schools, teaching training and leadership
• Teaching of English language and mathemaAcs
• Use of first language and mulAlingual instrucAon as a pedagogy
• Culturally responsive curriculum & resources
• Use of first of first language for cultural and linguisAc maintenance
Warlpiri Curriculum Development
1987 SACE Development document
Warlpiri Theme Cycle
Warlpiri Curriculum Development Warlpiri Theme Cycle, 1999
• 300+ Pitjantjatjara titles • 400+ Pintupi-Luritja titles • 700+ Warlpiri titles
• Primers • Reader sets with work books • Posters • Flash cards • Teaching handbooks • Planners
• Community newsletters • Calendars
• Audio-visual collections
• Community involvement in schools, teaching training and leadership
• Teaching of English language and mathema(cs
• Use of first language and mulAlingual instrucAon as a pedagogy
• Culturally responsive curriculum & resources
• Use of first of first language for cultural and linguisAc maintenance
Meeting the Criteria – Resource Development for instruction in L1 and local knowledge, and Language and cultural maintenance
School and Community Newsletters documented school & community events, promoted community literacy
Language Documentation
Community involvement in schools, teaching training and leadership
Teaching of English language and mathemaAcs
Use of first language and mulAlingual instrucAon as a pedagogy
Culturally responsive curriculum & resources
Use of first of first language for cultural and linguisAc maintenance
✓
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Evaluating the Northern Territory Bilingual Education Program: A wider Criteria set
It’s really important to us that we keep our language strong. We don’t want to lose it. I know, I worked at Yuendumu Language Centre for ten years and fourteen years here at Willowra school. English is really hard for kids in transi(on and pre-‐school to understand, but Warlpiri they can understand easy. They learn it by looking at the alphabet. We don’t want to lose bilingual educa(on, we want our kids to learn both ways.
(Helen Morton, Warlpiri Triangle 1998)
We used to support each other and work together. But now, this four hours English, it’s separate. We don't really know what we are doing, we don't know how to fit Warlpiri. Warlpiri is important too, for our kids, because they understand Warlpiri. They can start learning a lot of new things, school things in Warlpiri. And before it was working really well, when we had team planning, support from a teacher linguist, learning togethers, team teaching, all of that. (Barbara Mar(n 2009)
Presenta(on Title | 00 Month 2010 | Slide 32 Presenta(on Title | 00 Month 2010 | Slide 32
Thanks to the staff in NT schools, who have shared their insights and commitment to educating their family and community and to past staff in the Bilingual Education Program for sharing their experiences and expertise.
Thanks for listening.
The work reported in this publication was supported by funding from the Australian Government Cooperative Research Centres Program through the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation (CRC-REP). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the CRC-REP or Ninti One Limited or its participants. Errors or omissions remain with the author.
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Devlin, B. 2009a. Bilingual educa'on in the Northern Territory and the con'nuing debate over its effec'veness and value. Paper presented at the AIATSIS Research Symposium, ‘Bilingual Educa(on in the Northern Territory: Principles, policy and prac(ce, 2009, Canberra.
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